Khatami's party threatens boycott
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Hardline Iranian protesters chant slogans against reformist lawmakers.
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TEHRAN, Iran (Reuters) -- President Mohammad Khatami's political party has threatened to boycott Iran's parliamentary elections unless bans on hundreds of aspiring liberal candidates are promptly overturned, newspapers reported.
The February 20 parliamentary vote has been thrown into doubt by the decision of the hardline Guardian Council -- an unelected body with sweeping powers -- to bar nearly half of 8,200 hopefuls from running.
The vast majority of those disqualified were allies of Khatami, whose attempts to deliver reforms since his 1997 election have been hindered by hardliners opposed to any watering down of Iran's Islamic values and political system.
The Guardian Council's move has prompted threats to resign by government ministers and state governors and led dozens of liberal MPs to stage an eight-day sit-in at parliament.
Reformists accuse the Guardian Council of trying to influence the outcome of the election so conservatives can win back control of parliament which they lost to reformists in 2000 elections.
Khatami's pro-reform League of Combatant Clerics, following a meeting of it's central committee on Sunday, decided that "if the current situation, under which not all legal (political) factions can compete freely, continues, there is no reason for the League to take part in the parliamentary elections," liberal newspapers reported Monday.
Unfulfilled threats to resign or boycott elections have become so commonplace from reformists in recent years that most Iranians no longer take them seriously.
In an interview with London's Guardian newspaper, published on Monday, 2003 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi said Khatami should now make good on his previous threats to quit.
"President Khatami said himself that if he couldn't pass measures because of the Guardian Council he would resign," the Iranian human rights lawyer said.
"But still he has not. I think he should fulfill his promise," she said.
Few analysts expect leading reformists, including Khatami, to resign over the political standoff.
In an apparent bid to defuse the election row, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the last word on all state affairs, last week urged the Guardian Council to review the list of disqualified candidates.
The Guardian Council said on Sunday it was following Khamenei's advice but would not be pressured into backing down. The council has until the end of the month to review appeals lodged by disqualified candidates.
Reformist MPs expect the council to lift the bans on most reformist candidates while excluding a small number of outspoken and high-profile liberals.
Copyright 2004
Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
